1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a baling device to form bales of crop material.
A baling device is an agricultural unit to form bales of crop material. The baling device usually comprises an intake device to take up crop material from a ground surface and a bale forming device to form a bale from the crop material.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a known embodiment, the bale forming device comprises an endless belt guided by guiding rollers. An outlet of the intake device is arranged between two guiding rollers so that crop material is fed between the two guiding rollers towards the endless belt. Due to the feeding of crop material between two guiding rollers a baling chamber is formed by the belt. By further feeding of crop material the baling chamber is filled until a bale with a desired diameter is obtained.
One of the two guiding rollers between which the baling chamber is formed is arranged on a pivotable rear flap of the baling device, so that the opening of the pivotable rear flap releases the bale from the baling chamber. Before the formation of a new bale can be started the pivotable rear flap must be closed. The opening and closing of the rear flap takes considerable time, during which the baling device cannot be used for formation of a new bale. This has the consequence that the intake of new crop material has to be temporarily stopped, by stopping the forward movement of the baling device over the ground surface.
EP 1 264 532, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety, proposes a baling device comprising two baling chambers in which a bale may be formed. During formation of a bale, the bale is transferred from a smaller baling chamber at the front of the baling device to a larger baling chamber at the back of the baling device.
Three movable arms are provided each carrying a movable guiding roll guiding an endless belt together with fixed guiding rolls to form bales. A baling chamber may be formed between two movable guiding rollers arranged at opposite sides of the outlet of the intake device. A conveyor belt is provided to close the bottom of the respective bale forming chamber and to transport the bale from the first baling chamber to the second baling chamber.
A drawback of the device of EP 1 264 532 is that the intake device must be configured to deliver crop material at different locations. In a first embodiment, the intake device is provided with a movable conveyor belt to transport, dependent on the position of the movable conveyor belt, crop material to the first or the second bale forming chamber. In an alternative embodiment, the whole intake device is made movable with respect to the frame, so that the intake device can deliver, dependent on its position, crop material to the first of second bale forming chamber. The provision of such intake device configured to deliver crop material at different locations makes the baling device relative complex.
Another drawback of the baling device of EP 1 264 532 is that the baling device is relatively long due to the presence of two bale forming chambers. Furthermore, the baling device of EP 1 264 532 requires a fixed guiding roll at the top back end of the baling device to avoid that the back end part of the endless belt comes into contact with the endless belt part forming the baling chamber.